Miami Marlins: Placido Polanco among top defensive second basemen of last decade

Placido Polanco hasn't played more than 12 games at second base since 2009, but according to one defensive metric he was among the game's best defenders at that spot for the better part of the last decade.

Fielding guru John Dewan's defensive runs saved system is 10 years old. He's currently running a series on the best defensive players of the decade at every position based on that analytic. Last week, Dewan looked at second basemen and shortstops. Polanco totaled the fourth-most runs saved (69) among second basemen.

Why should any of that matter to the Marlins, for whom Polanco will start at third base? He can pick it at any position.

Polanco is starting at third and hitting second in Saturday's Grapefruit League opener aganist the Cardinals. According to baseball-reference.com, he's logged 5,211 career innings at third. His career defensive runs saved there: 25. As recently as 2011, Polanco had nine defensive runs saved at third as a member of the Phillies. That tied for seventh-best in the majors that season.